December 26, 2013

As Republicans in the House of Representatives fiddle as America's infrastructure 'burns', there is a dam disaster waiting to happen. Not only have dams in America done a great deal of damage to our environment and wildlife but they are a great threat to entire communities. Failure of certain dams around the country could literally cost thousands of lives.

Not only are dams in a weaken state but they could become prime targets of terrorists in America.

Ironically, thousands of Americans could be put to work removing unnecessary dams, rebuilding weaken dams and providing security against terrorism for vulnerable dams.

Look at the facts summarized by Center for American Progress:

-More than 28,000 dams—about one-third of all dams in the United States—are already more than 50 years old, the standard intended lifespan of most dams. -By 2030 more than 70 percent of dams are expected to be at least 50 years old. -About 14,000 dams across the country are classified as “high-hazard” dams, meaning a dam failure or operational error could result in the loss of human life. -In 2008 more than 2,000 of these high-hazard dams were also rated structurally “deficient,” meaning they were at serious risk of failure.

American history is dotted with dam failures and some of the biggest loss of life from a disaster has come from such failures. The Johnstown South Fork Dam failure of 1889 killed 2,209 people which makes it one of the most deadly disasters in United States history. In 1928, the collapse of the St. Francis Dam in Los Angeles County killed over six hundred people.

Hazardous dams are perched above a number of highly populated areas with many of them over fifty years of age. For example, the Salt Lake City area alone has eight unsafe dams above it.

If Congress doesn't soon start dealing with our infrastructure, the deaths and destruction will certainly take place by a dam failure will totally be their responsibility.

December 25, 2013

Just in time to make winter plans as the blizzards start circling our cities is Conde Nast Traveler's list of the world's best beach hotels. Here are some of my favorites but you can see all of them here.

Amankila (Bali, Indonesia)

With a location in eastern Bali right on the Lombok Strait, "this beautiful resort is very much in touch with its community."

Qualia, Hamilton Island (Great Barrier Reef, Australia)

Hillside pavilions are spread over 30 acres of tropical bushland above the Coral Sea, and are designed to reflect Aussie style using local hardwoods and quarried stone.

Blue Palace Resort & Spa (Crete, Greece)

Guest rooms are arranged in clusters along a slope overlooking the sea—"definitely splurge on one with a private infinity pool."

Capella Pedregal (Cabo San Lucas, Mexico)

From the moment they make a dramatic entrance through a 1,000-foot torch-lit tunnel, guests say that this property designed to emulate a Mediterranean mountainside village is "a real nirvana."

Four Seasons Resort Maui (Maui, Hawaii)

This "dream resort" on 15 acres is shaped like a horseshoe, providing views of the Pacific Ocean from almost every guest room.

The Reefs ( Bermuda)

There just aren't enough accolades to go around for this salmon limestone resort built on the ruins of a 1680 farmhouse, on a cliff overlooking a private beach.

Palm Island (Grenadines, St. Vincent and the Grenadines)

“You are completely disconnected from the world and on a little island heaven,” at this resort in the Grenadines

December 24, 2013

Africa Geographichas a story on the Fosa. What in the hell is a Fosa? Well, it is little known creature that exists in Madagascar that for years was thought to be a member of the 'cat family'. In reality it is a species all of its own and is often known in scientific circles as 'that false feline'

The site gives us five facts about the very endangered Madagascar Fosa.

Fact 1

It has taken scientists years to make up their minds about these intriguing creatures. The fosa was first described in 1833 when it was thought to be a cat. Current genetic analysis, however, has revealed distant shared connections with the African mongoose.

Fact 2

Curious and voracious, fosas have been known to ransack unoccupied tents and eat bars of soap, malaria pills and even leather boots. But their diet consists mainly of lemurs, rodents and other vertebrates.

Fact 3

The fosa is Madagascar’s largest carnivore and an excellent arboreal hunter. It is an agile climber with powerful forelimbs, paws with retractable claws and ‘reversible’ ankles. The latter enable it to grasp both sides of a tree trunk when ascending or descending headfirst.

Fact 4

The fosa and the other seven endemic carnivores of Madagascar have evolved from a common ancestor that arrived on the island by rafting some 20 – 25 million years ago. They have been placed in their own family, Eupleridea.

Fact 5

The naturally low population densities combined with the loss and fragmentation of habitat make the species incredibly vulnerable. The latest Global Mammal Assessment estimates a total population of fewer than 2 500 fosas on Madagascar.

The British Isles and Ireland have been hit by one massive storm after another this year. The latest has hit at the worse possible time as travelers attempt to get home for the Christmas holidays. With hurricane force winds, the storm has flooded towns, blown down homes, totally disrupted travel and killed five so far.

December 22, 2013

National Geographic is featuring photographs of the ten of the rarest animals on this planet. All of the photographs were taken by photographer Joel Sartore.

Here they are:

1. Amur Leopard

An Amur leopard named Usi from Nebraska's Omaha Zoo is captured in mid-prowl in this picture by National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore.

Found in the Primorye region of Russia, the Amur leopard is a very rare subspecies of leopard: A 2007 census counted only 14 to 20 adults and 5 to 6 cubs. That makes the big cat one of about 2,300 species that are considered critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This gallery will highlight some of these animals that are literally on the edge of extinction.

2. Sumatran Rhinoceros

Harapan, a four-year-old male Sumatran rhinoceros at Florida's White Oak Conservation Center, appears to emerge from the shadows in this photograph.

The total population of this critically endangered species is estimated at fewer than 275 individuals. Like other rhinos, this species has been heavily targeted by poachers who are after its horns

3. Western Lowland Gorilla

Seemingly in awe, a six-week-old female western lowland gorilla has its picture taken at the Cincinnati Zoo.

Surveys since the 1980s suggest that commercial hunting and outbreaks of the Ebola virus are behind the gorilla species' plummeting numbers in its native Africa

4. Mountain Pygmy Possum

The pygmy mouse is the only Australian mammal that lives in alpine environments.

But the small creature has been declining as its habitat is severely fragmented or destroyed by various construction projects and ski resorts

5. Philippine Crocodile

The Philippine crocodile, pictured above, is a relatively small freshwater crocodile: Males usually don't grow more than about 10 feet (3 meters) long, and females are even smaller.

The reptile's habitat-lakes, ponds, marshes, and other bodies of water-has been widely converted into rice paddies. The animal has also suffered from hunting and destructive fishing methods such as the use of dynamite, according to IUCN.

6. Sumatran Orangutan

A Sumatran orangutan at the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas, seems to pose for a portrait.

Native to the island of Sumatra, Indonesia (map), Sumatran orangutans are almost exclusively tree dwellers—a lifestyle that's led to their decline as Sumatra's forests increasingly fall to logging.

The great ape has dropped in number by 80 percent in the past 75 years, and scientists estimate there are only about 7,300 left in the wild.

7. Northern Bald Ibis

The northern bald ibis (pictured, an individual at the Houston Zoo) was thought extinct until it was rediscovered in the Syrian desert near Palmyra in 2002. Habitat disturbance and hunting are the main drivers behind the bird's decline in its Middle Eastern habitat. (See more bird pictures.)

According to a Turkish legend, the northern bald ibis was one of the first birds that Noah released from the ark, as a symbol of fertility

8. Black-Eyed Tree Frog

Photographed at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, this black-eyed tree frog belongs to a species that scientists predict will decline by more than 80 percent over the next ten years.

Native to Mexico and parts of South America, the frog is under threat from habitat destruction and the chytrid fungus, an infectious disease that is decimating amphibians around the world

9. Lord Howe Island Stick Insect

A Lord Howe Island stick insect, photographed at the Melbourne Zoo, seems to peer into the camera.

The insect was thought to have become extinct around 1920 after the introduction of rats to Lord Howe Island (map), which is located between Australia and New Zealand.

However, in 2001, the species was rediscovered on Ball's Pyramid, a rocky outcrop located about 15 miles (22 kilometers) from Lord Howe Island.

10. White Antelope

Sartore photographed this addax, or white antelope, at the Gladys Porter Zoo.

Scientists estimate that only 300 wild individuals of this critically endangered species remain; its population has plummeted due to hunting, drought, and even pressure from tourism. Once widespread throughout large swaths of Africa, it is now found only in Niger.

December 21, 2013

Before you write your nasty notes about how much you dislike Mayor Bloomberg, it is important that we take a minute to thank a man who has given us twelve years of his life and has left this city in better shape than when he started his terms. While ideologically I am more in tuned to Mayor-elect de Blasio, I have appreciated the fact that the city has dramatically improved over the last years.

Has it become perfect? No.

Has full equality both in civil rights and economically been obtained? No

Was he right on 'stop and frisk'? Oh hell no.

Did I share his love of Wall Street? No

However I really appreciated what he did accomplish and that this cities basic services worked.

There is much to be done but lets just take a moment and thank this Mayor. It is the right thing to do.

Here are some of his accomplishments and it is only just a part of a long list.

-He has added over 800 acres of new parkland

-He created 470 miles of new bike paths.

-He started the Citi Bike program.

-All over the city there are new pedestrian plazas creating new space for people and not cars.

December 17, 2013

Weather.com has the results of a several decade long study that monitors what states have the most earthquakes. Given the rash of recent earthquakes in Oklahoma which are most likely caused by fracking, that state might be soon higher on this list.

You might be surprised to find that New York State is number 21 on the list with a total of 16 quakes over near three decades. While New Jersey ranked 39 with just two quakes. The largest every to hit New York City area was a 1884 quake that measured 5.0.

The number of above 3.5 earthquakes over several decades are included after the states.

African Geographic is reporting the exciting news that at the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre that a African Black Footed Cat has given birth to kittens! This is the first time in six years for the Centre.

The site reports:

The black footed cat is Africa’s smallest wild cat and although only listed as vulnerable on IUCN Red List, they are rarely seen owing to their strictly nocturnal nature. Though small in size, the black footed cat has the personality of a tiger and can even catch and kill prey larger than itself, such as the Cape hare.

As the threats to their survival include indiscriminate methods of predator control, habitat destruction and depletion of prey, it is incredibly important that a viable captive breeding population is established and maintained – unfortunately, black footed cats are difficult to keep and even more difficult to breed. That is why the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre is incredibly proud and privileged to announce the birth of two black footed cat kittens!

This is the first time in six years that the centre has successfully bred with these beautiful cats.

The debate about the need for fracking has been raging with environmentalists issuing dire warnings and others proclaiming the urgent need for energy independence.

The evidence continues to grow that this process of extraction could be very hazardous. In some areas, people literally have been able to light the water coming out of their faucets and in other there has been a dramatically increase in earthquakes.

Now the Los Angeles Timesreports in an article written by Neela Banerjee that a new study has found possible serious health concerns arising from fracking. Substances have been discovered in the water supply that are linked to infertility, birth defects and cancer.

Banerjee Reports:

Water samples collected at Colorado sites where hydraulic fracturing was used to extract natural gas show the presence of chemicals that have been linked to infertility, birth defects and cancer, scientists reported Monday.

The study, published in the journal Endocrinology, also found elevated levels of the hormone-disrupting chemicals in the Colorado River, where wastewater released during accidental spills at nearby wells could wind up.

Tests of water from sites with no fracking activity also revealed the activity of so-called endocrine-disrupting chemicals, or EDCs. But the levels from these control sites were lower than in places with direct links to fracking, the study found.

"With fracking on the rise, populations may face greater health risks from increased endocrine-disrupting chemical exposure," said senior author Susan Nagel, who investigates the health effects of estrogen at the University of Missouri School of Medicine.

Fracking involves injecting millions of gallons of chemical-laced water and sand deep underground to crack shale formations and unlock oil and gas. The process is exempt from some regulations that are part of the Safe Drinking Water Act, and energy companies do not have to disclose the chemicals they use if they consider that information a trade secret.

The study was published as the Energy Information Administration issued a forecast that natural gas production would continue to rise, and gas would overtake coal as the United States' main source of fuel for power plants. The fact that the domestic boom in oil and gas is driven by fracking has made discussions of its impact extremely fraught.

December 16, 2013

On December 10, near Placerville, Colorado, a wall of ice and water came rushing down the river, The small town (near Telluride) was evacuated but spared any serious damage from the flow. Nevertheless, its arrival at the town was very impressive.

That night, a second wall of ice and water hit outside Denver, Colorado on Clear Creek. Sure and hell wouldn't want to get caught up in it in the middle of the night.